Two of my three collecting vices

For those of you who haven't been reading this blog for more than one or two years, you may not know that I once collected stamps.

Stamps are one of three Very Serious collections in my life. Matchbox cars came first, then stamps, then baseball cards. I've addressed all of this before -- matchboxes, here, and stamps, here. In between there were bottle caps and coins and magazines and stuffed animals and records and rocks on the beach. I've addressed this, too, in something called subliminal collecting.

But only Matchbox cars, stamps and baseball cards ever received any kind of dedication, what probably could be called "vices" considering how much time I spent with them.

Not long ago, I received a PWE from 2-by-3 Heroes that contained two of those three collecting vices.

No, silly, you can't fit a Matchbox car in a PWE.

I'm talking about ...

STAMPS

plus

CARDS!!!


Stamps are still pretty cool, although I barely think about them anymore. In fact, I know that they're still cool because a couple of weeks ago the guy behind the counter at the post office wanted to know if I wanted stamps of flags or hot rods.

"HOT RODS!!!!!!," I said instinctively and insistently and way too loudly.

Now, I can put the most awesome stamps around on my bills and ... geez ... I don't know, stamps last me a couple of months now because I don't know how to use them.

But anyway, this blog is about cards not stamps, so here is what was in the envelope:

I'm am currently going through flashbacks of the NLDS and how the Dodgers actually thought they could be productive without a bullpen. Virtually every game they played in that series would have been different if their bullpen existed outside of Kenley Jansen. No Christmas card for you, Ned.

An expired contest card. But it's still collectable because it's shiny and features a baseball player. Something for the lottery ticket people to think about.

Jeff thought he'd send this card in order to play havoc with my team-collecting sensibilities.

See?

Sorry, Jeff. Not only do I have this card already, but I have the glossy version, too. I came to terms awhile ago.

All I know about this card is it's numbered and it's from Donruss. But now I know what to do with my free time.

My first Major League movie card. People went loopy over these last spring. I'm not as big on the movie or the cards as a lot of other fans, but they're interesting. And it's good for those times when I have to have one of everything in my collection (pretty much a necessity if you're writing a card blog).

By the way, Jake Taylor won the big playoff game against the Yankees with a bunt. Something to ponder for Ned Yost.

There is no end to the cool collectables that exist. I can still see two of my very most favorite Matchbox cars in my mind. I still have plenty of 45s and LPs sitting around waiting to be played, and I just looked up if the coins I've had stored since I was little are worth anything (they're not).

But really, there is one vice that blows all of those collections away.

I have the great big box of card dupes to prove it.